Doffer-machine.



l. MEURLING1 DOFFER MACHINE.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAY 22, 1915.

Patented Jan. 22,1918..

Mwfoz I. MEURLING.

DOFFER MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, I915- 1,254,148. Patented Jan. 22,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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IVAR MEURLING, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR T0 EMPIRE DUPLEX GINCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF ARIZONA.

DOFFER-MAGHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

Application filed May 22, 1915. Serial No. 29,715.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IvAn MEURLING, a subject of the Crown of Sweden,residing at Brooklyn, Kings county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvementsin Dolier-Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to apparatus for treating cotton and particularlyto doifer machines or the like which are adapted to feed cotton from abale opener into a lint flue or chamber containing air under pressurewhich leads it to a lapper.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved machine of theaforesaid character that shall be more simple and reliable than thosehitherto known and subject to less injury and wear.

Dofler machines have usually comprised a roll or rolls having paddles orvanes of leather or other flexible material extending radially outward,which were intended to feed the cotton into the lint flue and at thesame time to seal the opening of the fine. Machines of this kind areobjectionable be- 1 cause they tend to wear rapidly and to work badly onaccount of the leather losing its flexibility and permitting the air inthe flue to blow back the cotton. The usual apparatus for conveying thecotton to the dofler machine is so constructed, having spikes or nailsfor carrying the cotton, that there is danger of fire by striking aspark and igniting the cotton. A fire once started in the flue wouldtravel with great rapidity and do a large amount of damage.

One object of my invention is to overcome this risk and in fact mydofler structure is so arranged that if the cotton in the hopper shouldbe ignited the fire will be extinguished by the dolfer rolls before itis delivered to the flue.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be set forthhereinafter, and in order that my invention may be thoroughlyunderstood, 1 will now proceed to describe the same in the followingspecification and then point out the novel features thereof in appendedclaims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 15 a front view of a dofi'er machine arranged and constructed in accordance with my invention.

A artially sectional front elevation of one end of the dolfer machineshowing the rolls, is illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation, on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

As shown in Fig. 1, the machine comprises a body built up of side frames10 and crossrods or stays 11, a conveyer platform 12 adapted to receivethe cotton, a hopper 13 to which the cotton-is transferred by theconveyer, rolls 14, 15 and 16, and driving mechanism therefor.

The conveyer 12 may be of any suitable type, an endless belt rack 17extending as shown in the drawings around a pair of pulleys or sheaves18 and 19. The arrangement of parts is such that the top section of theconveyer constitutes a receiving platform onto which cotton may bethrown. pulley 19 is mounted on bearings carried by adjustable brackets20 so that the conveyer may be maintained in any desired tension.

Adjacent to the opposite end of the conveyer the side frames 10 extendupwardly taken and are provided with a cover-plate 21 to constitute areceiving hopper, to which the cotton is delivered from the conveyer.Directly under the hopper near the bottom of the body of the machine isa chamber 22 which is adapted to form a part of a lint flue, sections 23and 21 of the fine being shown as fitted onto flanges 25 and 26 withwhich the end frames of the machine are provided.

The flue, including the chamber 22, is closed except where it opens intothe hopper, and into this opening, which is indicateld at 27, the dofferrolls 15 and 16 ex- 'l;11(

The roll 16 is secured to a shaft 28 which has a sprocket wheel 29 and abevel gear 30, and is rotatively mounted in the frame. The shaft 31which is substantially parallel with the shaft 28 is also rotativelymounted in the frame. It has a sprocket wheel 32 near one end and a gearwheel 33 near the opposite ent Suspended from the shaft 31 are a pair ofbrackets 34 which form bear- I ableklrivin-g means: for example, itmaybe gether as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings,

the shaft 36 is directly below the shaft 31 quently it tends to swingthe brackets about e Shaft 31 as an axis and press the roll 15 againstthe 'roll' 16.

The shaft 36 is provided with a gear Wheel 38 which inesheswith the gearwheel 33, an operative connection being thus formed from the shaft 31 tothcroll 15. 'The arrange" ment of parts is obviously such as not tointerfere with the swingingof the roll 15 since the pivotal axis for thesuspension brackets 34 is the center Ofthe shaft 31. A pair ofadjustable brackets'40 are pivotally mountedon'sleeve projections 41with which the brackets 34.. are provided and support a shaft 42 towhich the roll 14 is secured. The frames 10 are provided with slots 43and the ends of the brackets '40 are clamped in any suitable position towhich they are adjusted. bybolts '44which extend through the slot 43,the adjustment of the brackets being of course limited "by the length ofthe slot.

This constitutes a convenient means for i adj-ustingtheposition of theroll 14 whichis for the-purpose'bf pushing the cotton downwardly. as itleaves the'con-veyer 12,

onto the (letter rolls 1'5 and 16.

The roll 14 maybe rotatedfby anysuitconnected to thcshaft' 31 by a'gear'14 mesh ing with gear 33,01' connectedin some other way to a drivenmember;

45 represents the main 'driving'pulley of the ma'chine althoughthe'machiue may be driven in any-suitable manner." The pulley is mounted'onthe shaft 46' supported in suitable" bearings.'47 a 11(l'havi'ng'abevel "pinion 48 one end whichme'shes with the bevel gear 30. The shaft28 is thus driven'and driving connection is established from thissha'ftto the shaft 31,- andtoa shaft '49 -'on" which the pulley 18 ismounted; by means of" a sprocket chain 50 which meshes with th'e'sprocket wheels 29 and 3-2. and a sprocket wheel 51 mounted on'the shaft49. An idler pulley 52. mounted on an adjustable bracket 53 is providedfor'the purpose of adjusting the'tensionof the chains" I V The hopper 13is pl'ovided"wi'tli" an*apron 54 which 'di vertsif'the :cotton onto thedoftcri rolls. I?

Each of the (letter rolls isprovided with a shoe'55 which extendslongitudinally of thetheedgesof'the opening27' into'zthe'chamber'v7strips56.which are bolted to the top of the .ichatnber, therebysealingthe opening from the chamber into the hopper and preventing theloss of air pressure in the flue or the blowing out of the cottonwh'ich'iis intended to be delivered to the flue. The shoes 55 arepressed into engagement with the'respective dofter rolls by means ofspring-pressed levers 57. As indicated in Figs. 2 and3. each of thedofi'er rolls is prefera'bly provided :with grooves in its outer surfacein order to avoid the clogging of the machine as hereinafter explained?Theoperation of the apparatus is as -fol-" lowsz+Assuming that. theshaft 46 .is' oper ated o that the'shafts 28 and '31 .and.49 are;

driven :in a clockwise direction, asshown' in Fig. 2, the shaft 3'6-wil1.obviously'be driven: I in a counter-clockwise direction so thatthe doifer rolls 15 and 16 cooperate without material wear or friction-\Vhen 'the'machine is thus operated, if cotton is thrown onto the thehopper 13, the roll 14 serving to push it downwardly between the rolls.15 and'16.

conveyer platform 12. it will be carriedinto These rolls will actasfed-rolls and will carry the cotton between 'them 'into the chamber22, particularly on account of their grooved or otherwise roughenedsurfaces whichprevent slipping. As this chamber is a part ofthe lintflue, the cotton will be com I veyed away by the usual 1 current ofairtherein.

As the "cotton is squeezed betweenthe rolls. due to theaction of'theweight 37. the roll 15 .will swing'outwardly to a greater or lessextent'to permit' the cOttOn to passthrousrh,

but I have found-that no material space will be open and'no lossofpressure in the lint flu'e'ior'blowing backof the lintwill occur.

Since the cotton is squeezed between the lrolls'as'it is fed "into"theflue. fire or flame \Vhat Ii l i ism pair" ofcyllind ri'cal do fierrolls disposed in "thel'iopeu'ingandiadapted to rotate with their cottoninto the flue. shoes engagingith n;--

start'ed in the hopper will not be transferred to ltheiflue'ibut will besmothered as the eet t ton'passes throughiithe -1OllS.1-i." 1 1 IStructural variations may be effected withoutz'depart-ing 'from' thespirit and' 'scope of zmvvzinvention, and I I. intend. that: only suchlimitations f'fbe' 'imposed'las are. indicated. in the appended claims;Y 1

1. A dofi er machine comprising a conveyer'adapted to be supplied withcotton. a

therein and opening into'thehopper. and 'a 5 giperipheries fi amiableproximity to feed ad]fl'centfpflons ofthe dofl' u aces, .1spr asi'exertlngi pressure upon the shoes, W H SIfS outer surface ad acent toyielding means for connecting the s'hoesto 'the adjacent edges ofthe.opening intoi"tl'1e 22.;- Thes'e shoes -are'-' n1ounted m fiyieldingaflueam .pivotalLrbracketsSupPQrting .one -Jef images and opening intothe hopper, and a pair of cylindrical dofl'er rolls disposed in theopening and adapted to rotate with their peripheries in variableproximity to feed cotton into the flue, shoes engaging the nonadjacentportions of the dofl'er roll surfaces, springs exerting pressure uponthe shoes,

yielding means for connecting the shoes to' the adjacent edges of theopening into the flue, a pivotal bracket supporting one of the dofferrolls, an operative driving connection for the rolls arranged to permitthe free pivotal movement of said supporting bracket and its roll, aweight tending to hold the doifer rolls together; and a roller mountedin the hopper and adapted to push the cotton downwardly onto the doiferrolls as it is received from the conveyer.

3. A dofler machine comprising a conveyer adapted to be supplied withcotton, a hopper into which the conveyor discharges, said hopper beingopen at the top, a lint flue below the hopper, adapted to have airpressure therein, a pair of cylindrical dotfer rolls disposed betweenthe hopper and the lint flue, the ends of said rollers forming Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for airtight closures between the hopper andthe flue, yieldable means for forming airtight closures between outersurfaces of the rollers, the hopper and the flue, means for rotatingsaid rollers in any of their positions in opposite directions to feedcotton into the flue, means for pressing said rollers against each otheror against the cotton between them and a transversely movable sup portfor one of said rollers.

4. A doffer machine comprising a conveyer adapted to be supplied withcotton, a hopper into which the conveyor discharges, said hopper beingopen at the top, a lint flue below the hopper adapted to have airpressure therein, a pair of cylindrical dofi'er rolls disposed betweenthe hopper and the lint flue, the ends of said rollers forming air-tightclosures between the hopper and the flue, yieldable means for formingairtight closures between outer surfaces of the rollers, the hopper andthe flue, a pivoted transversely movable support for one of saidrollers, means for pressing said rollers 'agalnst each other or againstthe cotton between them, and driving gearing for rotating said rollersin opposite directions to feed cotton into the flue, the gearing for oneof said rollers vcomprising a gear having its axis in alinement with thepivot of said movable support.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of May,1915.

IVAR MEURLING.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C."

